Week of 1/15/2024
Starr gets the ball rolling for some deep family trouble in The Shapes and I talk about PeePee PooPoo and 80085.
The Shapes
Struck v. Struck 4-6
News
Cerebral Vortex
I neglected to mention it in my previous updates, but while I was at NYCC, I dropped a few Shapes copies at the Cerebral Vortex booth, a comic book shop in Richmond, VA. So check them out if you’re in the area!
Sammy the Critic
PeePee PooPoo #80085 Review
Caroline Cash’s one-person anthology returned for the second issue in a row in 2023 and the third one overall. It’s yet another treat that continues to be one of the few comic books I consistently buy whenever a new issue comes out. As with the previous installments, this one contains a mix of autobio and slice-of-life comics, each of which is distinctly Cash’s art style while playing around with different aesthetic choices.
BOOBS — One page of Cash extolling the best things about being a lesbian which includes “uhhhhhhh… Yeah. Boobs.” Yay!
Victoria’s Secret — A teenage Caroline Cash experiences the awkwardness of trying on and buying a bra as a budding lesbian. The late 2000s/early 2010s nostalgia energy emanates resplendently from references to Glee, Fall Out Boy, and Invader Zim, all complemented appropriately with grungy black-and-white art.
Dudes Rock — Two dudes hang out at a party and catch up with each other. It has a “guys who talk themselves up as being more successful than they actually are” tone permeating the dialogue. Furthermore, Cash’s magenta hues emphasize the party atmosphere's liveliness and simultaneous mundanity. All of these elements end up fitting together perfectly to create a relatable comic for anyone who has dealt with that kind of person above (or is probably one themselves).
The Life of a Young Hot “Freelance” Cartoonist — Cash describes an average morning in her life with acutely self-aware observation. The black and whites are done with screentone, so it does feel like reading a slice-of-life manga.
Danny’s in memoriam — Cash waxes nostalgically about Danny’s, a Chicago bar that closed in 2020 (what, you didn’t really think the title was in reference to the diner chain). In good, bad, and just okay times, Danny’s was the go-to place to lounge around and therefore, a treasure trove of memories. Anyone who has had that one hang-out place can relate. I don’t know why orange was chosen as the main color scheme for this comic, but it does give out a warmth that evokes that reminiscence.
Come Home: Part Two — This is a continuation of the last story in #420 centering on a person named Casey whom the main character knew. As far as I can tell, she seems like the type with a blase external aura who really deep down is screwed out of her mind, but we’ll have to see in the next installment whether my assumption is true.
My favorite comics ranked:
Dudes Rock
Danny’s
The Life of a Young “Hot” Freelance Cartoonist
Victoria’s Secret
Come Home Part 2
BOOBIES
Overall, PeePee PooPoo #80085 is no stinker. My only question is what Caroline Cash will title the next issue since she missed the window to follow up #420 with #666.